It’s Easy To Be Angry If You Live In Nigeria - RMD On His Role In The Black Book

Ismail Akwei

Richard Mofe-Damijo, RMD, the lead character in the global-hit Netflix movie The Black Book has attributed the successful portrayal of his Paul Edima character to the anger endured by Nigerians on a daily basis.

He said on The Qonversation that it is easy to be angry as a Nigerian living in Nigeria, therefore it is easy to portray the character of a man who was part of a corrupt system but becomes a victim after withdrawing from it. “If you live in Nigeria, it’s easy to be angry. It’s very easy to be angry. Anger is a common emotion here because there are all these things that are going to anger you,” he said.

RMD told Ismail Akwei that his hunting hobby came in handy during his preparation for the character of the hitman as he learned to handle weapons professionally and work on his physique.

“I did learn how to handle weapons professionally. I used to be able to handle it. I hunt regularly, but I needed to do it professionally. So I was taught by a Marine, a serving Marine that we got from the U.S. Embassy here in Nigeria. And my personal trainer was Uzi Kwendu; Uzi Kwendu is a very popular trainer. I also had a good nutritionist, a young lady called Nina Bell was my nutritionist. They both did absolutely wonderful.

“So it took about 13 months. I also didn’t touch my beard. I grew my beard and grew the hair on my head. And no makeup. No, absolutely no makeup. What you saw is just me preparing, ready every day,” he said.

The Black Book is a $1m+ budget movie produced by Anakle Films and directed by Editi Effiong. The action-thriller tells a fictional story exploring Nigeria’s conflicted history with military dictatorship, drug trafficking, and politics, through a retired hitman’s journey to seek justice. It also touches on the present, as the events of the past affect the present issues of police brutality, which led to the #EndSARS protests that were seen around the world in 2020.

In its second week of release on Netflix, the film had been viewed over 17 million times and has ascended to the Number 1 position in Nigeria, The Netherlands, South Korea, Pakistan, and Jamaica; a remarkable third position globally, and an impressive presence in the Top 10 in no less than 69 countries.